State overview · IL
What salary do you need to live comfortably in Illinois? Real data for 1 city, updated June 2026.
| City | Salary needed | Housing / mo | Median salary | Salary gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $98,827 | $1,781 | $54,720 | $44,107 |
Cost of Living in Illinois
Chicago requires $98,940 per year to cover basic living expenses, which runs just above the national median of $97,658. That gap is modest at the state level, but the picture looks different for workers earning the local median salary of $51,510. A person at that wage faces a shortfall of $47,430 annually, meaning the typical Chicago paycheck covers roughly half of what a comfortable budget demands. These figures reflect Chicago alone and should not be read as a statewide snapshot, since Illinois contains many smaller, lower-cost communities not yet tracked here.
CityWage currently covers one city in Illinois. The table below breaks down Chicago's full cost profile, including a monthly housing cost of $1,781.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cost of living in Chicago, IL?
You need about $98,827 per year to live comfortably in Chicago, based on the 50/30/20 budget rule applied to BLS and HUD data.
Does the median salary in Chicago cover the cost of living?
Not on its own. The median local salary of $54,720 falls about $44,107 short of the $98,827 needed to live comfortably.
Is Chicago above or below the national average?
Chicago runs above the national median. It needs $98,827 per year versus the national figure of $97,559.